Fun While Exercising Boosts Healthier Food Choices

Is your exercise routine fun? If not, you could be undoing your hard work by eating more calories afterward, researchers say. In two studies, people who were asked to walk for 30 minutes “for exercise” ate larger amounts of unhealthy snacks—but not of other foods—than did those who were told that the purpose of the same walk was to listen to music or sightsee. In a third study, runners who had participated in a race were given a questionnaire, then offered either a chocolate bar or a healthy cereal bar. People who reported having more fun during the race were more likely to pick the healthier choice. Source:Marketing Letters, published online May 15, 2014